Automatic brake actuator for motor vehicles



Sept. 1, 1925. l 1,551,740

L. R. HEBERT ET AL lAUTOMATIC BRAKE AGTUATOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed March 5, 1923 f lsplicationg'fSerial Patented Sept.` l., 1925,

UNITED narenireFFlGEa LQUIxSJR- smeer-'emanen HEREN; QFY een MYER, MAssecaUssaasf "Au'roMaTIo BRAnn AoTUeron ron Moron VEHICLES.

Application filled March, 1923. SeriaINo. ($2,501.

T all whom 'it may concern:

Bel-it known'thatwe, Louis R. HEBERT and EUMOND .HEBERL citizens* of the Y United States, 'residing atEallRiver, in the county ,l of Bristol 'andState ofMassachusetts, 'have' invented certain new and: useful 1 Improve ments in Automatic Brake Actuators for,

l NMOtOr Vehicles; of? Wh-Chthe following is a ,i specification, r I Y Y substantially improve upon the automatic brake actuator for motor vehicles, and particularly. the resetting mechanism therefor,y y shown anddescribed inounco-pending' ap #607571; filed vDecember Inth'is co-pending appli'cationt-is necessarythat the actliatin'g'mechanismV for the brakesbe setat a point-'remote fromthe seat 2.9- ofthe vehicle operator, thisg obviously7 beingr a great disadvantage.- In the present appli-'f cation, the brake Vactuating mechanism may be easily. and expeditiously resetby the j driver tof the vehicle,without the necessity- 45 of 4him leaving 4his seat.

The nature and advantagesof the inven` tionv will vbe better` understood when the following detailed description is read' in con# .nection with the accompanying drawings,` 3.0 lthe invention' residing in f the construction;

Eigure 1 isa topplan view of the front `end of a motor vehicle -trannie, disclosing our .improved brake actuating mechanism i asso-` .f

4:91ciateldtherewith.` l .l

Figure 2 is an elevational. viewv 'of one side ythereof. f

Figure@ .is view upon the. line of Figure l, andV looking f'rearwardly inf the-direction of the ,arcwsf r i `f v. Eig'ilre L,his aperspective view of one ofthe .frontroller'carrying-brackets which forms af l K s i A Yandg2; `is a bar'I or` rod: 13j the rods'upon op- .component `'p/Va'itofi-the Zpij'es'entr invention.

\ he primary object our invention is to -f a transverse .cross sectional their end walls with aligned openings."'

the trip arms or rods constituting a part of our automatic brake actuatingfmeclianism. Figure '6 isai sectional viewthroughj the usual brake' actuating shaft of* the motor vehicle, disclosing" in conjunction therewith, "af handle lever Jfor thepurpotse of' resetting 'our device.' i l V`Figure lis an enlarged detail cross section upon the line rl-:7 of Eigure l, and

Figure Sis a `perspective otone ofthecom* our invention.

vn'ecting arms, employed 'conjunction with Referring'to the drawingsk in detail, we

rhave shown our device asassociat'ed with a motor vehicle',i constituting the usual chassis frameV including sideibars 1L and 2, and al front connecting bar 3. The rearfend's' of .these bars land `2Y are i connected 1:byA another bar similarft-o the Jiront member 3; as is readil'yapparent. Between'thesideirame bars l` and f2, and i spaced from the' front ends thereotis th'e usual transverse .brake shaft 4 of the :vehicle: "Thisi'shaft is ljo'urnaledbe 'tween the said bars 1 and 2; and vcarries the usual operating' handle v5. Upon the "outer Sides Off cach'of the 'ramebars land 2," and at the Vforward end Y thereof are.' rectangular shaped roller carrying vbracket members 7.

vThese 'brackets "are more f clearlyshown in Figure, it beingV understoodthateach" of` the vsame carries'apair of rollers 8 journaled within tliebracke'ts, the front and re'arwalls et each of the said bracket members being' formed 'with' aline'd 4.openings 9, whilstthe walls of the same remote from' the chassirs` -bjarslV and'2,` areforined with laterally eX- vtending', forwardly curved lugs or`earsv10`.

' 'Rearwardly of'the front braicketsl are other roller carrying" brackets Ell; Figure 3, thefsaine being also secured to the'v outer brackets 11 are Vsubstantially the same as the brackets' 75 each beingprovidedwith the pairs ,of spaced rollers.v 12,"and forined on Slidably .disposed Yv'v-ithinv the" sidopenings between the-rollers of the ,brapke'its 7 and 11 `npon the respective' chass'sbars 1 ,positeisides ofthe machine traine adapted for free rectilinear movementwithin the said brackets 7 and 11. The front ends of these rods 13 are connected in any manner desirable to a suitable form of spring bumper 14, and formed or secured in any manner desirable upon each of the rods 13 and forwardly of each of the roller brackets are collars 15. Encircling these rods between each collar and adjacent roller bracket are coiled springs 16, functioning as a cushioning means for the rods 13 when the same are slid rearwardly.

As shown more clearly in Figure 5, the free end of each rod 13 is right angularly bent as at 17, and formed upon the ends of these right angular portions are forwardly extending and downwardly bent arms 18, each of which carries a laterally extending right angular lug or linger 19.

Slightly forwardly of the rear roller carrying brackets 11, and journaled between the frame bars 1 and 2, is a rock shaft 20, the ends thereof being rearwardly bent as at 21. As a means for normally maintaining the rock shaft 2O in the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, we have provided adjustable weights 22, secured at desirable points thereon. The said rock shaft 20 is further formed adjacent each of its bent ends 21 with normally vertically disposed dogs 23, more7 clearly shown in the detail view, Figure Detachably arranged upon the said laterally extending lugs or lingers 10 of the front roller carrying brackets 7 are T plates 24, these plates being connected to relatively longer T plates 25, through the instrumentality of pairs of relatively strong coiled springs 26. Again referring to Figure 7, the said last mentioned T plates 25 are formed with their ends remote from said springs 26 with vertical extensions 27', the same being formed with openings and adapted for the reception of the screw threaded ends of rearwardly extending rods 28, it being noted Vthat these rods are adjustably connected to the said T members 25, through the nut fasteners 29. The T members are further formed with pendent shoulders 30, adapted for bringing up against the said dogs 23 of the rock shaft 20, when the plates 24 and 25 have been separated for maintaining the springs 26 in their extended position as shown in the views, for a purpose hereinafter described.

Pivotally connected adjacent the opposite ends of the said brake actuating shaft 4 of the motor vehicle, through the instrumentality of strap connections 31 are levers 32, the same extending upwardly and passing through slots in the fioor board of the motor vehicle. Pivotally connected as at 33 to the -lower ends of these levers 32 are connecting rods 34, these rods for the respective levers 32 extending laterally in opposite di rections as shown in Figure 4. The free ends of the said rods 28 that are connected to the T members 25 are formed with collars 35, the same receiving the ends of the said rods 34, these rods being maintained within the collars through the instrumentality of set screws 36.

The said brake shaft 4 of the vehicle is further formed adjacent its ends with pendent arms 37, the lower ends of which are formed with openings for receiving one end of cables 38, these cables 38 extending forwardly and outwardly, and being in turn connected at their opposite ends to ears 39 formed upon the inner sides of the said T members 25 in the several views, our automatic brake actuator is being shown as being set and should the bumper 14 at any time strike an obstacle, the rods 13 will obviously be moved forwardly for consequently releasing the rearwardly bent ends 21 of the rock shaft 2O from the said laterally extending lugs or lingers 19 of these rods. As soon as the rock shaft 20 is released, the coiled springs 26 will naturally pull upon the T plates 25, the said rock shaft being released permitting the abutments 30 and the plates 25 to override the dogs 23. Through the contraction of the springs 26, the cables 38 will be conse- Aquently drawn forwardly for naturally rocking the said shaft 4 in the direction in which it would ordinarily be rocked through the rearward movement of the brake lever 5 for consequently applying the machine brakes for bringing the saine to a stop.

In the resetting of our brake actuating mechanism, handles 40, Figure 6, may be positioned upon the upper end of the said levers 32. Pushing forwardly upon these handles, the same will be rocked upon the brake shaft 4, for consequently retracting the T plates 25 in view of their connection to the lower ends of these levers 32, this rearward movement of the T plates 24 causing the abutments 30 thereof to override the dogs 23 in view of the rocking nature of the shaft 2O upon which they are formed, and by forcing the ears or lugs 19 of the said rods 13 over the rearwardly bent ends 21 of the rock shaft 20, the parts will be held in this position until the bumper 14 again strikes an obstacle.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is A combined motor vehicle guard and controller including a bumper supported in advance of the frame of the vehicle and provided with longitudinally movable support ing rods, a brake shaft pivoted upon the frame of the vehicle, spring means connected with the frame and the brake shaft and normally holding the shaft in a position to apply the brake, a rock shaft journaled upon the frame and carrying a latch'member which is engageable With the spring means, said longitudinally movable supporting rod having offset ends andy the rook shaft having angularly disposed end p0rtions engaged under the offset end portions of the longitudinally movable supporting rods when said supporting rods are in their normal position, and said latch member adapted to retain said spring means 1n a position whereby the brake shaft is held released.

In testimony whereof We aHiX our signatures. 1 i

LOUIS R. HEBERT. EDMOND HEBERT. 

